Bill > HR8256

This bill, titled the "Senior Hunger Prevention Act of 2026," aims to improve access to nutrition assistance for older adults and individuals with disabilities by making several changes to the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Key provisions include extending the certification period for certain nutrition assistance program participants from 24 to 36 months, standardizing and increasing the medical expense deduction for elderly and disabled individuals, and adjusting the value of allotments for these groups. The bill also establishes an "elderly simplified application program" (ESAP) to streamline the application and certification process for elderly or disabled households with no earned income, allowing for self-declaration of information and waiving interviews for recertification. Additionally, it introduces a "combined application program" (CAP) to simplify the application process for individuals receiving Social Security benefits based on disability or supplemental security income, offering both a standard and modified model for states to implement. Furthermore, the bill creates a pilot program to award grants to eligible entities for raising awareness and assisting older adults, kinship families, and adults with disabilities in enrolling in nutrition assistance programs, and it modifies program rules to facilitate food delivery by retail stores, including reimbursement for delivery costs for older adults and those with disabilities. Finally, the bill extends and expands the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program to include adults with disabilities, increases funding for these programs, and establishes grants for modernizing farmers' markets and a pilot program for local food procurement.